Hearing Set To Build Case Against Tower Plan

January 26, 2001|By CAROLYN MOREAU; Courant Staff Writer

SIMSBURY — Hoping to convince the Connecticut Siting Council to deny an application for a digital phone tower on West Street, the board of selectmen will hold a hearing Monday to gather public testimony against the application.

The land-use boards last year rejected a proposal for a digital cell tower at 125 West Street because the proposed steel and wire structure was deemed unsuitable for a residential neighborhood. But the land-use boards won't get to decide whether this application from a different developer should go forward.

A federal judge's ruling last November turned that authority over to the siting council, a state agency that oversees the placement of all utility facilities.

Town officials plan to urge the siting council to reject the application from Verizon Wireless. But first, officials want to get input from the public so they can speak to the council with more authority.

A spokesman for Verizon could not be reached for comment Thursday.

``We want cell towers in town because we want better cellular service,'' said First Selectwoman Anita Mielert. ``But we feel there are more preferable locations.''

In fact, town officials are hoping the siting council will approve a different plan. New England Site Management has sent a letter to the town and siting council, saying it is about to submit an application to build a tower in the Powder Forest Industrial Park, which is owned by Ensign Bickford Realty.

Town officials said either tower could bring mobile phone service to parts of town where it is currently not available, but that only one tower is needed.

Robert Stevens, a spokesman for Ensign Bickford Reality, said the trees in the industrial park would hide that tower. The park is mostly undeveloped.

Joel Sevick, a resident of Bushy Hill Road, said he plans to attend Monday's hearing with several neighbors to state his objections to the proposed West Street tower.

Sevick, who fought hard to convince the land-use boards to deny the last application, said he believes there are still unanswered questions about the safety of telecommunications towers. Because these questions still exist, he said, the towers should not be allowed in residential areas.

``I do not want to be a test for this kind of technology,'' Sevick said.

The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the town hall main meeting room.